Gaddafi’s visit to mark the second anniversary of a friendship treaty with former coloniser Italy had already stumbled into controversy after he said Europe should convert to Islam.
Speaking at a ceremony here late on Monday standing next to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Gaddafi said his plan to “put an end to” illegal immigration was backed by Italy, but Berlusconi remained silent.
Backing Libya’s request for cash would be in the interests of Europe which otherwise “tomorrow, with the advance of millions of immigrants, could become (another) Africa,” Gaddafi affirmed.
Libya “is the entry door for unwanted immigration” which should be “stopped at the Libyan borders”, he went on.
“Tomorrow Europe might no longer be European and even black as there are millions (of Africans) who want to come in,” Gaddafi argued, describing the migratory movements as “something very dangerous”.
“We don’t know what will happen, what will be the reaction of the white and Christian Europeans faced with this influx of starving and ignorant Africans,” the Libyan firebrand said, adding: “We don’t know if Europe will remain an advanced and united continent or if it will be destroyed as happened with the barbarian invasions.”
Desirable immigration
But Gaddafi insisted: “There is also desirable immigration. There are Libyans who have money and I encourage them to come to Italy to invest.”
Gaddafi, who came to power after the overthrow of the monarchy 41 years ago, landed in Italy on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of a friendship treaty signed with Berlusconi that drew a line under the countries’ bitter colonial-era relationship.
Ties between Rome and its former colony have deepened since the signing of the friendship accord, with Italy now the third largest European investor in the North African country.
Italy has said it will invest $5bn and build a 1 700km highway in Libya to compensate for its three decades of colonisation from 1911 to 1943.
The two countries also reached an agreement that allows the Italian navy to intercept illegal migrants at sea and return them to Libya, triggering sharp criticism from the United Nations’ refugee agency and human rights groups.
Berlusconi credited good relations between Italy and Libya “for countering with success the trafficking of illegal migrants from Africa to Europe controlled by criminal organisations”.
He did not reply to the concerns of the human rights groups.
In earlier controversial comments, Gaddafi said on Sunday Europe should convert to Islam during a lecture to a group of 500 young women hired and paid by an agency to attend his lecture.
“Islam should become the religion of all of Europe,” one of the women quoted Gaddafi as saying in the Italian press.
The agency paid the women, mainly students who hire themselves out for advertising of publicity events, $90 or $100 to attend and said it would not pay girls who gave their names to the press.
Dangerous Islamisation project
It also told them to dress conservatively for the lectures.
About 200 women on Monday gathered at the Libyan cultural centre in Rome to attend a second lecture.
One of the women present said that Gaddafi had said at the gathering that “women are more respected in Libya than in the West” and offered assistance in finding Libyan husbands.
The lectures are “a new, humiliating violation of Italian women’s dignity,” opposition lawmaker and former health minister Rosy Bindi said.
Gaddafi’s show also caused discomfort within the coalition of Berlusconi, a close ally of the Libyan leader.
“Gaddafi’s words show his dangerous Islamisation project for Europe,” said European MP Mario Borghezio of the anti-immigrant Northern League, junior partner in the coalition, according to Il Messaggero.
Berlusconi and Gaddafi met privately for 30 minutes on Monday, during which Gaddafi confirmed the policy of opening Libya to Italian investment, a member of Berlusconi’s staff said.
After the meeting, the two men toured a photography exhibition tracing the history of the Italian-Libyan relationship, including the bloody colonial period.
Gaddafi travelled, as usual, with a Bedouin tent for his accommodation which was pitched in the gardens of the residence of the Libyan embassy in Rome.
Gaddafi was set to return to Libya on Tuesday morning, according to sources with knowledge of the visit.
Source: News24